Flat primary dry cell



May 2, 1950 R. P. RICHARDSON ETAL 2,505,835

FLAT PRIMARY DRY CELL Filed Nov. 11. 1944 Mixed Patented May 2, 1950 2,505,835 FLAT PRIMARY DRY CELL Richard Percy Richardson and Richard Walter Lewis, Erlth, England, assignors to Burndcpt Lirrinited, Erith, England, a company of Great B tain u Application NovemberV 11, 1944, Serial No. 562,994

In Great Britain September 17, 1943 seuuuu 1, Public Law 69o, August s, 194s Patent expires September 17, 1963 This invention relates to primary electric batteries of the layer type, that is to say batteries of cells in which the electrodes and other components are substantially flat and stacked one upon the other.

One purpose of the invention is to produce a battery of this kind which will not leak, and so will not have its voltage impaired by the shortcircuiting of one or more cells by escaping elec- 4 Claims. (Cl. 136-11l) the invention will appear more particularly from the following description of an example of construction of the invention which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, f

Figure 1 is an elevation partly in median section on an enlarged scale of a pile of cells assembled in nested relation to form a battery;

Figure 2 is a plan of the pile of cells;

trolyte, nor its life shortened by undesired pas- 1o Figure 3 is a still further enlarged section sage of current when the battery is not in use. through the wall of one negative electrode, show- A further purpose of the invention is to proing in further detail a preferred form well duce a battery 'in which the risk of metallic adapted for nesting; short-circuiting of cells is reduced to a minimum. Figure 4 shows on a smaller scale a blank from Yet another purpose of the invention is to pro- 15 which is made a component for ensuring insuladuce a battery the elements of which are readily tion of one cell from another. handled without damage in the course of manu- Figures 5 and 6 are views at right angles of the facture. v depolariser component of a cell.

It is well known in this class of battery to make As is well known the common dry cell comeither the positive electrode'or the negative elec- 2o prises an electrode of electro-negative metal. trode in the form of a shallow dish or pan, and to usually magnesium or zinc, and herein referred to assemble the components of a cell within this as zinc, a positive electrode of carbon, a depolahollow electrode. rizing mix, preferably of carbon and manganese It is also well known to assemble the electrodes dioxide interposed between the electrodes, and an and other components of a cell within a dish or 25 electrolyte which establishes a conductive path pan of sheet insulating material, such as a plastic, between the electrodes but is not in freely fluid and to make such dishes or pans of such a shape form, and which preferably includes zinc chlor that they will nest one within the other. ide, ammonium chloride, and a small proportion In the battery of the present invention the of mercury chloride. negative electrodes are made in the form oi' a 30 In the battery of this invention the negative dish or pan, which not only receives the several electrode is a flat-bottomed zinc pan I of a form components of a cell but also is shaped to receive adapted for nesting, that is to say, its .internal a part of the negative electrode of the cell next dimensions in the neighborhood of the lip of the above it, superposed upon and enclosing its own pan slightly exceed the external dimensions of assembled components; while also it is itself '13 the lower part of the pan. While this condition adapted to nest similarly within the negative may be satised by a pan of simple tapering electrode of the cell next below it. form it is preferred to make the pan with a dis- The invention also includes a novel shape of tinct shoulder 2 within it intermediate between negative electrode adapted for nesting as well as its :bottom and its lip. The flat bottom. 3 is of for containing the other components of a cell. lo rectangular, form with rounded corners and The invention also includes a construction of merges through rounded edges l into substanbattery built of cells assembled in their nested tially vertical lower walls 5. At the shoulder 2 negative electrodes in which the nesting parts of the internal dimensions of the pan are increased the negative electrodes are thoroughly separated in al1 directions parallel to the bottom by at least the one from the other both mechanically and 45 twice the thickness of the pan. In the construcelectrically, so that no contact can be established tion illustrated, as may be readily seen from between them even though the edge of one may be Figure 3, the increase in dimensions at the inadvertently left with a burr or projecting shoulder 21s substantially greater than twice the roughness. thickness ofthe pan so that the upper substan- 'Ihe above and other purposes and features of 50 tially vertical wall t above the shoulder 2 can acasoasas commodate not only the lower portion B of the next cell above but also a stout interposed layer of insulation as described below. The pans I may be "rumbled after pressing to round oiI their sharp edges, and remove any projecting scarf of metal which may chance to have been formed While cells of the layer type may have positive electrodes in the form of thin plates of carbon, a more usual construction is to make the positive electrode a coating of carbon upon the negative electrode; this course is followed in the construction illustrated. The whole of the outer surface of each zinc pan I' is coated with a layer of carbon I by spraying upon the inverted pan, or pouring over it, a suspension of iinely divided carbon in a medium which dries out leaving an adherent coating; or the pan, in upright position, may be dipped into such a paint. The spraying, pouring or dipping process maybe repeated until the desired thickness of carbon is obtained.

If desired the coating of the outside of the zinc pan I with carbon may be followed by application of a coating of insulating varnish to the outer surface of the upper wall 6, the shoulder 2 and the lower wall 5 but not to the bottom 3. Such a coating is of assistance in preventing metallic contact between the nested parts of the zinc pans, it also hinders leakage oi any duid which may be freed in the course of the life of the battery; and it may be utilized to key on a coating of insulation applied to the battery as a whole after assembly. But as such a coating is thin, and might be penetrated by a sharp edge or scarf of metal projecting from the edge of the pan I it is preferred to employ instead or in addition a separate insulating member as de scribed below.

There are many ways known in which electrolyte may be incorporated in the cell. In the construction illustrated there is placed within the pan I a simple rectangular sheet of bibulous paper 8, on which is a coating 9 of a starch mixture or like mucilaginous or jelly-like substance which can absorb and retain a liquid electrolyte; the coating 9 is placed next the zinc. This sheet 8 might be made of large size to line the cell and its edges be treated to enable it to serve as an insulator in place of the element next to be described; but it is found more convenient to construct it for the one function of absorbing and retaining electrolyte. It may be impregnated with electrolyte before being placed in the cell.

Next this electrolytefcontaining layer it is preferred to provide a cell lining it of a paper material, which both covers the electrolyte-containing layer and lines the walls of the pan up to the lip of the pan. This must be permeable by the electrolyte in its dat middle part, and this part shares the elecin'olyte-retaining function of the layer 8, 9. But the edges of the sheet i0, which, as appears from Figure l, come to lie between the zinc pan they line and the lower p'ortion 5 of the pan next above nested within it, have the function of separating the cells both mechanically and electrically. For mechanical strength, to resist penetration by a sharp edge of metal, the sheet I may be of stout card or like paper product. It is convenient first to cut a blank in the form shown 'in Figure 4, so that the marginal parts i I may fold up when the lining is pressed into the pan, without bulky creasing at the corners. Since the material of the lining is permeable, electrolyte must be prevented from reaching the marginal parts Il. To this end .4 these may be impregnated with insulating ma terial, such as parallin wax. This may be done by dipping the inverted lined zinc pans into a shallow bath oi molten wax, allowing only sumcient time for the wax to penetrate the marginal parts II, and not giving it time to reach the dat centre part of the lining. As shown in Figure 1 the lining Ill may with advantage be made of such size that its edges project beyond the lip of the zinc pan.

Upon the sheet III is placed a tablet or lozenge of depolariser mix I2, which may be of the slightly domed form shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Liquid electrolyte is then added to the cell and time allowed for it to penetrate all the porous components.

Celis to the number required for the voltage the battery is to give are then nested in one or more piles as shown in Figure 1, so that the carbon coating 'I on the bottom of one pan I comes into contact with the tablet I2 in the-cell below, and the rounded edge 4 of the pan approaches the shoulder 2 of the pan below. Figure 1 shows a slight clearance I3 between the one cell and the next, but this is exaggerated to make one cell distinct from the next; in practice the coated lower part 5 of one pan is a close tit within the card lining I0, I I of the pan in which it is nested. Some small space I4 may be left uniilled by solid material; lt affords a chamber in which may accumulate any gas evolved in the action of the cell.

The uppermost cell I5 requires a positive electrode to complete it. This is provided by a carbon coating I6 upon a tray I1 which may conveniently be formed of steel. The tray I1 is of similar form to the lower part 5 of any other of the cells in the pile. Itsupper margin has a tag I8 for connection to an external circuit.

The lowermost cell I9 does not require a carbon coating 1 but may have a connector, not shown, soldered to it.

The pile of cells is compressed to ensure thorough surface contact between the several components throughout the battery, and while compressed is bound with tape 20 or otherwise secured in the compressed condition. The whole battery may be given a coating of insulation, for instance of a plastic such as polystyrene, which renders it huid-tight, and seals any such gap as indicated at I3 between two cells. Ii the lip of the pan I is coated withinsulating varnish this may unite with the plastic sheathing to complete the sealing of each individual cell. Alternatively the battery may be coated with paradin wax.

We claim:

1. A composite electrode for a voltaic cell comprising a shallow dat-bottomed pan of electronegative metal coated on its outer surface with carbon and having walls substantially at right angles to its bottom formed with shoulders within the pan such that the internal dimensions of the lip of the pan exceed the external dimensions of the lower part of its wall.

2. A voltaic battery comprising a plurality of shallow dat-bottomed pans of electro-negative metal assembled in nested relation, a lining of paper material within each pan extending to its lip and separating it from the pan nested within it, said lining having an impervious and nonconducting border, a at cake of depolarizer and a positive electrode placed in that order between the lining of one pan and the bottom of the pan nested within it, and electrolyte impregnating the bottom of said lining and said depolariser.

3. A voltaic battery comprising a plurality of shallow nat-bottomed pans of electro-negative metal assembled in nested relation, a bibulous layer within each pan resting on its bottom, a lining of paper material within each pan extending to its lip and separating it from the pan nested within it, said lining having an impervious and non-conducting border, a at cake of depolarizer and a positive electrode placed in that order between the lining of one pan and the bottom of the pan nested within it, and electrolyte impregnating the bottom of said lining and said depolarizer.

4. An electric primary dry battery comprising a plurality of shallow pans of electro-negative metal having the internal dimensions of their upper part exceeding the external dimensions of their lower part, said pans being assembled in nested relation, electric insulation interposed between the cells of said pans where they lie one within the other, preventing metallic contact between them, a coating of carbon upon the outer surface of the bottom of each pan, a layer of depolarizer mix and an absorbent electrolyte-oontaining layer placed in that order between and iilling the space between said carbon coating of 5 each pan and the bottom of the pan in which it nests.

RICHARD PERCY RICHARDSON. RICHARD WALTER LEWIS.

10 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 Number Name Date 303,237 Skrivanow Aug. 5, 1884 614,539 Edgerton Nov. 22, 1898 770,277 Fiedler Sept. 20, 1904 1,611,153 Benner et al. Dec. 21, 1926 2,144,574 MacCallum Jan. 17, 1939 2 2,375,875 Sanderson May 15, 1945 

1. A COMPOSITE ELECTRODE FOR A VOLTAIC CELL COMPRISING A SHALLOW FLAT-BOTTOMED PAN OF ELECTRONEGATIVE METAL COATED ON ITS OUTER SURFACE WITH CARBON AND HAVING WALLS SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO ITS BOTTOM FORMED WITH SHOULDERS WITHIN THE PAN SUCH THAT THE INTERNAL DIMENSIONS OF THE LIP OF THE PAN EXCEED THE EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS OF THE LOWER PART OF ITS WALL. 